We Start Anew
by TigerOfIthilien
Summary: It is little known that after dead cats fade, they are given a new life in another set of Clans. After the Last Hope, all of the faded cats leave the Lake Clan's ancestors to join another group. But what will happen when memories start returning to the cats who Faded in the Last Hope? Will they become their old selves, or reject that life and live their own? Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

_Tigerstar felt Firestar's jaws close around his neck, and he writhed, trying to dislodge the tom. Then, a snap echoed around him, and he felt the pressure vanish. He was falling, not to the Dark Forest. He couldn't go back. He felt his body suspended in nowhere, and he cracked an eye open. _

_Everything was black. He felt something like a current tugging at his fur, but he didn't want to go. He didn't want the current to take him. _

_ He righted himself, marveling in the way he was floating. It was like a river, he mused silently. And rivers… well, you can swim in rivers. _

_ Tigerstar tested his paws, paddling them as he had learned to in the Dark Forest. A pang shook him as he realized that he had failed, but he kept swimming forward. _

_ A light grayness… Tigerstar squinted, trying to make sense of the change in colors. He could see his whiskers… Maybe he was getting to the end of this weird place…_

_ The light grew in brightness, and soon became the look of sunlight. He could still see nothing above or below him, but right in front of him… A window stopped the darkness._

_ In time, he reached the opening, and placed one paw tentatively on it. It held, and he climbed up, letting his tail hang over the side._

_ Cats milled below him, in some sort of camp. He didn't recognize it; he had been to all the Clan territories, and this one matched none of them. _

_ Without realizing it, he was tilting forward. He felt an immediate sense of alarm, but it was too late. He slipped off his hold and fell, watching as it faded away from sight._

_ Unbeknownst to him, this was happening to many other cats. Those who had faded in the fight that Tigerstar himself had died in._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, or some of the characters. I own the New Clan cats, and the New Clans, but I do not own the whole Warriors world, and some of the characters become the characters from Erin Hunter.**

**Allegiances:**

**RainClan :**

LEADER: Sootstar : dark gray and black tom

DEPUTY: Specklefur: white she-cat with tabby splotches

MEDICINE CAT : Cloverfoot : dark brown tabby tom

WARRIORS:

Swiftflight : light gray tom with a stripe that looks a bit like a wing on his side

Mistyfur : blue-gray she-cat

Tallsky: small gray she-cat

Ambersky : white she-cat with amber eyes

Thistlepad : black and white tom

Flamewing: dark ginger she-cat

Featherpelt : fluffy silver tom with blue eyes

Lionmane: light ginger tom with scruffy fur around his neck

Apprentice, Snowpaw

Oakclaw : light brown tabby tom

Shimmerflight : black she-cat with a white tail-tip

Thornfoot: light silver tabby tom

Cherryleaf : dark ginger she-cat with one white paw

Willowheart: light gray and white she-cat

Sandheart : light ginger tom

Apprentice, Birdpaw

Badgerfur : black and white tom

Runningfoot : black tom with one white spot on his chest

APPRENTICES :

Snowpaw : white she-cat with black speckles around her eyes

Birdpaw : light gray she-cat

QUEENS :

Leafheart : brown and ginger she-cat (Mother to Stormkit, a silver and ginger she-cat with amber eyes, Redkit, a dark brown tabby tom with ice blue eyes and a snow-white underbelly, and Shadowkit, a gray and black tom

Firefur : rusty ginger she-cat with thick fur (Mother to Rowankit, a ginger she-cat with long fur, and Wolfkit, a thick-furred gray dappled tom)

**CloudClan :**

LEADER- Pinestar- White she-cat with blue eyes

DEPUTY- Snowberry- white she-cat with green eyes

MEDICINE CAT- Whitetail-light ginger she-cat

WARRIORS-

Squirrelstorm- dark ginger she-cat

Mossflame- dark gray she-cat

Apprentice-Fastpaw- white tom

Quickstorm- black she-cat with a dark brown tail-tip

Acornflight- brown tabby she-cat

Apprentice- Tabbypaw- light brown tabby tom

Tawnytail- tawny tom

Gingerfur- light ginger she-cat

Flightclaw- white tom

Thunderbird- golden she-cat

Apprentice- Bluepaw- gray she-cat

Goldeneye- dark ginger tom

Apprentice- Crowpaw- black she-cat

Nightstorm- black she-cat with green eyes

Pearlfur- white she-cat, former kittypet

Apprentice, Tundrapaw- light ginger she-cat

Flowerstream- black she-cat with a white paw

Apprentice, Jewelpaw- white she-cat, former kittypet

Silverclaw- white tom

Cloudfur- White and gray tom

Deertail- brown she-cat

Apprentice, Cloudpaw

Haystorm- small ginger she-cat

Apprentice, Harepaw- little ginger she-cat

Raintail- light gray tabby she-cat

Apprentice- Spiritpaw- Black and white she-cat

Feathertail- long furred brown tom

QUEENS :

Striketail- white she-cat (Mother to Cloudfur's kits, Sweetkit, a white she-cat, and Stormkit, a white and gray she-cat)

Bumbletail- brown tabby she-cat (Mother to Flightclaw's kit, Nestkit, a black and white she-cat)

ELDERS-

Buzztail- Brown tom

Stripefur- white she-cat with black stripes

The screech of a crow was probably what woke Stormkit up for the first time in her life.

Not that she knew what a crow was at that very moment, but upon reflection she had decided that that was it.

After feeling an initial moment of panic, she realized that she was safe, probably because she understood the words being passed between two other beings in the place that served as her den.

Without opening her eyes, she tried to tune in, only half-understanding what was being said.

"I think Stormkit just twitched her ears."

_Oh. So that's my name._

"I saw that too, Leafheart. Maybe she'll open her eyes."

"Well, she'll be an early kit to do so. Most cats don't for a couple sunrises after this."

There was a long pause, then they started chatting again. Stormkit picked up the words 'warriors', 'Sootstar', and 'hunting' used a lot. They were obviously of some importance… Hmm.

She stopped paying attention after a while, pondering whether she should open her eyes or not.

Stormkit finally decided that yes, she _definitely_ wanted to. She would be able to better observe, and get some better information on her whereabouts.

She cracked open an eye slowly, trying to get a good idea of her surroundings without taking it in too quickly.

Green moss covering the ground and brambles arched high overhead were the first things that caught the kit's attention. Proud for recognizing them, she turned her gaze towards the cat who was obviously her mother.

"Stormkit! You've opened your eyes!" Leafheart licked the top of her head, smoothing back the kit's fluffy fur.

"Her eyes are just like yours." A rusty-brown she-cat commented, her swollen belly hidden by thick fur.

_Are they?_

Stormkit looked up, catching Leafheart's warm amber gaze.

_I hope so._

There were two cats beside her, the same size as her. _They must be my littermates, Shadowkit and Redkit._

They were still sleeping soundly, leaving Stormkit with no choice but to squeak "Hi."

Leafheart purred, then pushed the kit against her belly with her tail. Stormkit curled up, her tail-tip brushing her nose lightly.

"Sleep. I'll tell you if they wake."

Happy to oblige, Stormkit drifted off to the sound of her mother's breathing.

"Come _on_, Stormkit! You _told_ me you would play today!" A soft paw tugged against Stormkit's fur.

"Rowankit…" Stormkit sighed. She curled up tighter, but when Rowankit didn't stop, she finally scrambled to her feet and followed Rowankit out.

Rowankit and her brother Wolfkit had been born to Firefur a moon after Stormkit. With Rowankit being the only other female kit in the five in the nursery, Stormkit was forced to choose between playing with the two apprentices, or Rowankit.

Rowankit was stockier than Stormkit. While Stormkit was lithe and lean, with long silver-and-ginger legs, Rowankit was short with long red fur.

"I'm going to be the RainClan warrior this time. You can be the CloudClan warrior." She flexed her claws, trying to put on a display of power.

To Stormkit, it looked laughable. In the first four moons of her life, Stormkit had just played with her littermates. But for the past moon and a half, the toms had taken to having lessons with their fathers.

Rowankit was the smallest of the kits, so she wasn't allowed by the toms to come with them. Much less Stormkit, who's greatest strength was her speed. Meanwhile, the toms got some bonus training.

Stormkit envied them, but loved her turn of speed. She could outrun a hare, she decided proudly, not knowing exactly how fast a hare was.

Presently, Rowankit was growling and hopping up and down, proclaiming, "Be gone, CloudClan warrior!" The kit pretended to swipe out at her, then ducked as an imaginary blow came back to her.

Stormkit crouched down, letting her ears flatten. "Never! I'll eat all your kits!" She leapt up and darted away as Rowankit tried to barrel into her.

"Haha – missed!" Stormkit taunted.

She felt alive, working, moving away fluidly from Rowankit's attacks. Rowankit narrowed her eyes, crouching. Stormkit came forward slowly, in a stalking position, keeping an eye on Rowankit.

"Look! Weakkit's fighting Rowankit!" The arrogant meow of Wolfkit, Rowankit's brother reached her ears, and Stormkit lost concentration for a moment.

That was when Rowankit leaped. Stormkit staggered under her weight, then felt her legs collapse beneath her, sending her to the ground. Stormkit tried to wiggle away, but Rowankit was not letting go. Finally, Rowankit got up, twitching her whiskers at Stormkit.

Wolfkit padded up to them, his still slightly furry gray pelt raised.

"Well done, Rowankit. You've beaten the Weakkit. As that's your right of passage, you don't have to train with Weakkit."

Rowankit cast a surprised glance back at Stormkit, then followed Wolfkit over to the edge of the clearing, where Rowankit knew Brackenheart and Runningfoot, her and Rowankit's fathers, respectively, would meet them soon.

They wouldn't know about the predjudice to her. By letting Shadowkit, the other long-legged kit, and Rowankit, the other girl, they could say that Stormkit just didn't want to.

_At least they tolerate Shadowkit, the way they don't tolerate me._

Then she snorted. She was excluded because they could exclude her. She was a lone tiger, as she liked to tell herself. Better to be a lone tiger, she had decided, then one of the Wolf Pack, which was what Wolfkit called his little training group.

She moved to under the shade of the tree that grew on the side of the Warriors-rock. A few other cats reclined in the shade; Thistlepad was climbing the tree, Flamewing was chatting with Willowheart, and Snowpaw was relaxing against the tree.

She heard an 'oof', and turned to see Rowankit being floored by Redkit. Even though she was stocky, she was no match for the bulk of Redkit or Wolfkit. Maybe she could beat Shadowpaw, but it would be a hard win, if even possible.

Stormkit turned her head away, instead looking over to the pile of rocks at the edge of the river. The tallest rock, the one in the middle, was the Highrock, where Sootstar addressed the Clan. He slept on the Warriors-rock, in the middle of the warriors, where it was warmest and the most sheltered. The Warriors-rock was the large slab of stone that dipped down into the river. The warriors slept on the Warriors-rock, but not in the open, of course. They slept either under one of the bushes that grew on the rock face, or under the tree.

Stormkit saw a flash of gray-black fur, and Sootstar hurled himself onto the Highrock. He glanced around, and then yowled, "Let all cats join around the Highrock for a Clan Meeting!"

Stormkit trotted after Specklefur, jumping onto one of the sun-warmed boulders. In a little while, all of the boulders were filled, and the warriors were looking expectantly at their leader.

He began slowly. "Six moons ago, Stormkit, Redkit, and Shadowkit were born into the Clan."

Stormkit scratched her ears. Was she hearing right?

"It is time for them to become apprentices. Stormkit, Redkit, and Shadowkit, please come in front of the Highrock.

Stormkit, her paws shaking, leapt down and joined her brothers on the middle boulder.

Sootstar spoke again. "Stormkit, Redkit, and Shadowkit. You have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you all to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, Stormkit, you will be known as Stormpaw. Your mentor will be Featherpelt.

"Redkit, you will be known as Redpaw. Your mentor will be Mistyfur."

Sootstar paused for a moment.

"And Shadowkit, you will be known as Shadowpaw. Your mentor will be Tallsky."

"Stormpaw! Redpaw! Shadowpaw!" The Clan cats chanted.

Stormpaw felt elation at first. Then, she looked at Redpaw, and her whole demeanor changed. Her fur rose, and her eyes narrowed almost involuntarily.

There was something familiar about those ice-blue eyes… Stormpaw felt hatred, strong and burning, coarse through her body. But why did she hate him…?

She collapsed, and a vision played through her mind… a ginger cat… stuck in a fox trap…

There was something special about this cat… She watched as two toms, one looking exactly like an older Redpaw, and one like him, but with amber eyes, watched him. Then, the one with amber eyes started to try and dig the ginger cat out, but the one like Redpaw knocked him over…

Stormpaw cried out, because the ginger tom was dying, and she felt some connection with him, even though she had never met him. But she couldn't move, she couldn't help…

Then the amber-eyed one dug the fox trap out of the ground, and sent the Redpaw-like one to the ground, dead. Stormpaw felt an immense sense of relief, and of hatred for Redpaw. She was finally able to move her legs, and she did, trying to get close to the ginger tom, but the weirdest sight stopped her.

Instead of her normal silver and ginger legs, they were now dappled orange and brown, with golden undertones.

Then, the vision was gone, and everything turned black.

**Remember, the review button is your friend, precious. Yes, it is a friend, precious…**


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